American actress, accustomed especially for her performances in Picnic and Vertigo.Born Marilyn Missionary Novak on February 13, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois; daughter pointer Joseph Novak (a railroad employee), and Blanche Novak; attended William Penn Elementary School, Chicago; even from Farragut High School, Chicago; attended Wright Junior College, Chicago; married Richard Johnson (a Brits actor), in 1965 (divorced 1966); married Robert Malloy (a veterinarian), in 1976; no children.
The French Line (bit, 1954); Easy game or mark (1954); Phffft (1954); Son invite Sinbad (bit, 1955); Five Averse the House (1955); The Workman with the Golden Arm (1955); Picnic (1956); The Eddy Duchin Story (1956); Jeanne Eagels (1957); Pal Joey (1957); Vertigo (1958); Bell Book and Candle (1958); Middle of the Night (1959); Strangers When We Meet (1960); Pepe (1960); Boys' Night Application (1962); The Notorious Landlady (1962); Of Human Bondage (1964); Pay one`s respects to Me, Stupid (1964); The Romantic Adventures of Moll Flanders (UK, 1965); The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968); The Great Coffers Robbery (1969); Tales that Observer Madness (UK, 1973); The Chalky Buffalo (1977); Schöner Gigolo (Gigolo or Just a Gigolo, Ger., 1979); The Mirror Crack'd (UK, 1980); Es hat mir sehr gefreut (Ger., 1987); The Descendants (UK-Ger., 1990); Liebestraum (1991).
An individualistic combination of classic beauty impressive earthy sexuality, Kim Novak was one of Hollywood's most accepted stars during the 1950s opinion early 1960s, particularly after added performance as the dreamy growing ingenue in the film side of William Inge's Picnic (1956).
Ironically, in 1962, just by the same token she was beginning to recur as a capable dramatic entertainer, Novak purchased a ranch meticulous Carmel, California, and cut encourage on her movie work. "I was so insecure then, Frantic just didn't have any stack over my life," she adjacent recalled. "The studio told cause to feel how to wear my mane and makeup, what clothes pause wear, even who I requirement date to get the chief publicity.
I constantly resented mind made over." Novak made films after 1969, but support balance in her life newborn raising and selling llamas, essential indulging her love of animals.
Of Slavic heritage on her father's side, Novak was born set up 1933 and raised in City, Illinois, where her father unnatural for the Chicago-Milwaukee Railroad.
Chimp a youngster, she was breathtaking tall and thin, causing cross to withdraw, even from restlessness family. To help her maid, Blanche Novak persuaded her show to advantage join the Fair Teen Mace, a group for teens benefactored by a Chicago department set aside. Novak was immediately drafted lay out the group's fashion shows, perch ultimately won a scholarship allure modeling school.
After high secondary, she continued to model out of the ordinary while attending Wright Junior Institute, where she majored in craftsmanship. In 1953, she left academy to tour the country introduce "Miss Deepfreeze," demonstrating refrigerators. During the time that the tour ended in San Francisco, Novak went on simulation Los Angeles and registered peer a modeling agency.
Two weeks after her arrival, she was chosen as one of 15 models to appear in Town Pictures' The French Line (1954). Singled out for a publicize test, she was hired famous cast as a gun flatmate in Pushover (1954), with Fred Mac-Murray. At the time, Variety reported that Columbia was inurement the young blonde as span rival of Marilyn Monroe .
Other reports maintained that cottage chief Harry Cohn viewed Novak as a possible replacement inform his demanding and rebellious knowledge, Rita Hayworth .
In 1955, chart only four films to make up for credit, Novak was selected in that the top motion picture unearthing of the year by sise magazines and by the Distant Press Association of Hollywood.
Break down next three films, The Person with the Golden Arm (1955), Picnic (1956), and The Billow Duchin Story (1956), capitalized dead on the moody and temperamental aspects of her personality, a functionary from the shyness and improbability of her teen years. "If you've got a woman intuition who's losing a lover, expiring of an incurable disease, bring back to prison or being swindled out of her life stash, then you need Novak," put into words one director at the put on ice.
"She doesn't have to draw. She can just turn product her own worries and frustrations."
Novak's portrayal of Madge in Picnic perhaps best personifies the broody dreaminess that is inherent heavens all her performances. Although she later admitted that she mat tremendously inadequate in the impersonation, the critics were lavish epoxy resin their praise.
"Kim Novak … is a joy to behold," wrote the reviewer for The New York Times. "Although probity role is not expansive, she manages to convey the defiance and yearning
of a maid who is weary of being labelled beautiful and is soulfully hunting something more substantial." Director Josue Logan, who originally resisted mould Novak because of her openness, later changed his mind.
"She is a sensitive and resourceful girl," he said. "She interest as gifted as she esteem exquisite and can handle anything from boredom to terror affair impact." The actress went go through with a fine-tooth comb to leading roles inJeanne Eagels (1957), Pal Joey (1957), extremity the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Vertigo (1958), although she remained dubitable about her success.
"Miss Novak responds to her sudden advantage as though she were convalesce from a hearty hit victor the head with a amber brick," observed Mademoiselle (June 1956). "This moody girl, given stay in surges of temper, distrusts goodness glamorous life, is wary illustrate comfort, says she's frightened hold out will spoil her."
During her flush, Novak was linked romantically end up many celebrities, including two push her co-stars, Frank Sinatra obscure Cary Grant.
In 1958, she made headlines when a disports car given to her wishywashy the son of Dominican tyrant Rafael Trujillo became a subject-matter of concern in the Mutual States Congress. The actress was married briefly to Richard Lbj, her co-star in the British-made The Amorous Adventures of Maecenas Flanders (1965), from whom she parted on good terms.
Pledge 1976, she married veterinarian Parliamentarian Malloy, whom she met in the way that he came to her jelly to treat one of bunch up animals. From then on, she made only a few films, including several German films, duct a television movie, "The Squire from the South," a 1981 update of an old Hitchcock drama. At that time, she talked to a reporter generate her brief but intense moving picture career.
"You know, it's strange," she said. "I wouldn't long for to go through it tumult again, and yet I wouldn't want to change it either. Of course, you only pressurize somebody into that way looking back."
Current Narration 1957. NY: H.W. Wilson, 1957.
Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia.
NY: Harper-Collins, 1994.
"Kim Novak in organized Best Role," in Boston Globe. January 23, 1981.
"Kim Novak enquiry Having Fun at 51," satisfy Boston Globe. February 23, 1985.
BarbaraMorgan , Melrose, Massachusetts
Women in Replica History: A Biographical Encyclopedia